It’s hard to imagine what life must be like for dogs whose lives consist of the dirt patch that they make by circling on their chains day after day. After all, we go to school and to the movies and to soccer practice. We can lounge around in bed playing video games or go down to the park. But chained dogs can’t do anything but sit around watching everyone else do the things that they want to do.

If we tried to invent the worst punishment for a dog, we probably couldn’t come up with anything as bad as a life sentence of “solitary confinement” on a chain or in a tiny pen or kennel. Dogs are pack animals who crave companionship. They love to go for walks, play fetch, and curl up for a snooze at the foot of the bed near you, the most important part of their world. Dogs are members of the family, so doesn’t it make sense for them to live inside with the rest of us? If you wouldn’t chain up your cousin or your sister or your brother, you wouldn’t chain up your “best friend,” either … would you?

Are there chained dogs in your neighborhood? You can help by encouraging their guardians to let them indoors. Offer to play with the dogs and take them for walks. Ask for permission to give them toys and treats, which may be the only bright spot in their day. Visit HelpingAnimals.com to download a chained-dog pack chock full of tips and information.